UK energy regulator approves 1.4-GW Scotland-Norway link

UK energy regulator Ofgem on Tuesday said it has granted licence to the NorthConnect project that would link the UK and Norway.

The cable will run between Aberdeenshire in northeastern Scotland and Eidfjord in Norway. It will have a capacity of 1.4 GW, which the developers say represents around 25% of Scottish peak demand.

The companies behind the GBP-1.3-billion (USD 1.9bn/EUR 1.7bn) project are Swedish utility Vattenfall and three players from Norway -- E-CO Energi, Agder Energi and Lyse.

Last summer, the developers received approval by Aberdeenshire Council for onshore infrastructure for the project. They said then that applications for the sea-based part were scheduled for 2017. The target operational date for the cable is 2022.

The consortium has said the link would allow the UK to tap into Norway's hydro power and help meet its renewable energy targets. Excess UK wind power could also be exported to Norway and stored in the pump storage hydro reservoirs until required, thus providing for increased wind contribution to the UK energy mix.

(GBP 1.0 = USD 1.466/EUR 1.301)

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